Tired of waiting? Lion are finally ready to roar

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IT’S been a long time coming, but Perth rockers Tired Lion’s debut album Dumb Days is finally due for release, and Brisbane is in for a special treat with the band performing in the city on Friday — the day the album comes out.

The four-piece’s first EP was released in 2013, followed up with the five-track Figurine in 2015, and although ­singer-guitarist Sophie Hopes concedes “it feels like so long ago”, she has no regrets about waiting it out.

Hopes, 26, and her band mates — guitarist Matt Tanner, bass player Nick Vasey and drummer Ethan Darnell — have always been inspired by the distortion-heavy, loud-soft dynamic of bands such as the Pixies and Sonic Youth, and although those points of reference are still on display, the band have found their own voice on Dumb Days.

“I think this was the perfect amount of time,” Hopes says.

“If we released something, like, one year or two years earlier, it would have maybe been a Smashing Pumpkins rip-off or something.”

Dumb Days was produced by Violent Soho singer and guitarist Luke Boerdam at Perth’s Blackbird Studios.

Tired Lion were one of the support acts on the Brisbane band’s triumphant stadium tour late last year, which included a sold-out performance at Riverstage, and Hopes admits her first encounter with the frontman occurred in less than ideal circumstances.

“It had ­already been presented to us that we could record with him and we hadn’t said yes or no yet.

“When he walked in, I had just gone to the toilet and it was just the worst timing.

“I’d been sitting on a plane all day, I walked out of the toilet and I was like ‘dude, I’m not going to shake your hand right now’.

“It was pretty funny … you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”

Despite that inauspicious first meeting, Boerdam and the members of Tired Lion quickly clicked, though he ­admits to having some initial reservations about working with the band.

“I didn’t want to do it unless I was actually helping them,” Boerdam tells Qweekend.

“But I found we got along really well and they were liking the things I was challenging them on.

“They already had that soft-loud ­dynamic going on that’s just natural to the music we all like, like the Pixies and Pavement, and I think they were liking having a fifth member with that external point of view.”

As well as collaborating with Boerdam, the band worked with engineer Dave Parkin (Jebediah, Karnivool), and Hopes is quick to heap praise on his contribution to the album.

“Seriously, if he wasn’t there I don’t think the record would be finished right now,” she says.

“He’s really good with time and under pressure he just smashed it out.

“Luke’s more like ‘take your time, let’s nut this out’ and maybe muck around a bit, but Dave’s like ‘all right, have you got it? Let’s put it down’.”

Camera IconTired Lion were support for Brisbane’s Violent Soho last year.Picture: Supplied

The first taste of Dumb Days, Cinderella Dracula, was on high rotation on Triple J after its release in March, and ­latest single Fresh has received similarly positive attention from the national broadcaster.

Fresh has been a longtime crowd favourite, with its “disconnect my youth” refrain proving particularly resonant.

“It’s about trying to let go of being a child and growing up; stepping up to the plate and being an adult pretty much,” Hopes says of the track.

“It’s sort of a sad-goodbye, seeing-yourself-off kind of thing.”

Hopes admits it wasn’t her first choice as a single.

“I was sick of it; we’ve been playing it for years,” she says.

“I wanted one off the record called Camp, which is one of my favourite songs on the album.

“I also love Hawaiifive0 — a live recording we did in the studio — and (title track) Dumb Days, and I love Japan, as well … I like them all.”

Hopes says being able to showcase new material has ­reinvigorated the band.

“We’re psyched to play new stuff because it’s been super-long since we’ve played anything new.

“ We’ve had a great response to our newer stuff and I think you can just tell we’re way more enthusiastic on stage, so I think that might resonate with the crowd.”